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May 31, 2018

In Nod To India, US Military Renames Its Pacific Command

The US military on Wednesday renamed its Pacific Command to US
Indo-Pacific Command, in a largely symbolic move underscoring the
growing importance of India to the Pentagon, US officials said.

US
Pacific Command, which is responsible for all US military activity in
the greater Pacific region, has about 375,000 civilian and military
personnel assigned to its area of responsibility, which includes India.

"Relationships
with our Pacific and Indian Ocean allies and partners have proven
critical to maintaining regional stability," US Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis said in prepared remarks.

"In recognition of the
increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, today we
rename the US Pacific Command to US Indo-Pacific Command," Mattis said.

He
was speaking during a change of command ceremony. Admiral Philip
Davidson was assuming leadership of the command from Admiral Harry
Harris, who is President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to
South Korea.

The renaming does not mean additional assets will be
sent to the region at this time, but rather recognises India's
increasing military relevance for the United States.

In 2016, the
United States and India signed an agreement governing the use of each
other's land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply, a step toward
building defence ties as they seek to counter the growing maritime
assertiveness of China.

The United States is also keen to tap
into India's large defence market. It has emerged as India's No. 2
weapons supplier, closing $15 billion worth of deals over the last
decade.
Mattis has been pushing for a waiver for countries like India, after
Trump signed a law last year which said that any country trading with
Russia's defence and intelligence sectors would face sanctions.

"I
think India and the relationship with the United States is the
potentially most historic opportunity we have in the 21st-century and I
intend to pursue that quite rigorously," Davidson, the incoming head of
the command, said last month.

However, experts said the name change would mean little unless it was tied to a broader strategy.

"Renaming
PACOM is ultimately a symbolic act ... (it) will have a very limited
impact unless the US follows through with a significant array of
initiatives and investments that reflect a wider aperture," said Abraham
Denmark, a former deputy assistant secretary of defence for East Asia
under President Barack Obama.